A Fulbright Teacher in Bogota, Colombia, A Special Series – Helping and Hurting in a World of Inequities – The North Star Reports – by Laura Blasena. Sponsored by The College of St. Scholastica and The Middle Ground Journal

When I went to San Lucas in Guatemala for a service trip during my time at St. Scholastica, I found that when I later told people about my trip I was always hesitant to add in the part about it being a “service trip”. I felt a bit ashamed about it, despite the fact that the San Lucas mission struck me as an authentic experience that was completely respectful of the community in which it existed and served, avoiding the “pity trap.”

For me, the idea of a “service trip” and volunteering abroad has always been a gray zone. I`ve heard so many stories about useless service trips, about white people…